Pasty cosmetics such as mascara, lip gloss, concealers, and eyeshadows are commonly sold in containers with an applicator projecting into the container and secured to the underside of the container cap. Radial or axial projections such as bristles, teeth, flocking, porous sponges, and the like, are provided on the applicator to hold cosmetic material thereon. The wall of the container is typically constructed of a rigid material which does not yield when pressure is applied.
To load a sufficient amount of product onto the applicator, most consumers repeatedly move the applicator axially within the container, similar to that of a pumping action. When the consumer feels she has loaded a sufficient amount of product, she removes the applicator from the container and then applies the product. With the repeated steps of insertion and removal of the applicator, the product within the container is depleted. During this depletion, the pasty nature of the product causes the product to adhere to the internal walls of the container and form a cavity defined by the product which remains adhered to the internal walls of the container. The product on the wall of the container is generally out of reach of the applicator when inserted into the container, and as a result, the consumer cannot remove all of the product from the container without significant difficulty. Thus, most of the product within such a container remains unused by the consumer.
Japanese Reference JP 9117322 proposes to solve this problem by incorporating a bag within the container. The bag is pushed by a pressure application board, which causes the applicator tip to be supplied with the cosmetic material. Various drawbacks are associated with this container. First, the incorporation of a bag within the container decreases the volume within the container and therefore decreases the amount of product which can be supplied to the consumer. Further, this proposed solution has many parts which are needed to make the package work, thus increasing manufacturing and assembly costs.
This invention provides for a cosmetic container which utilizes a flexible wall to allow the consumer to load a sufficient amount of product on the applicator without having to repeatedly "pump" the applicator within the container.
This invention also provides for a cosmetic container which allows a consumer to access a greater percentage of product within the container, thus allowing for less residual product to remain in the container.
Further, this invention also provides for a cosmetic container which is simple for a consumer to use.
Also, this invention provides for a cosmetic container that is a relatively simple device that avoids interference with the package aesthetics.